"Each little update-each individual bit of social information-is insignificant on its own, even supremely mundane. But taken together, over time, the little snippets coalesce into a suprisingly sophisticated portrait of your friends' and family members' lives, like thousands of dots making a pointillist painting."
-Clive Thompson, New York Times
A friend of mine posted that quote on Facebook, and it really resonated with me. Digital media really does shape our identities. Some people utilize social media for work, some for pleasure, and some just like to keep up with old friends. But everything that we put out there eventually
shapes how others view us, or in the media world helps to create our personal brand.
While there may very well be more to us than what meets the digital eye, the things we post and put out there shape how people see us--especially those individuals who do not know us on a personal level.
Whether we brand ourselves as students, parents, professionals, or just use social media for our personal lives every post--no matter how ordinary or mundane--contributes to our digital identity or personal brand.For the full NYT see: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
This blog post makes a good point, social media is in every part of our lives and even if you aren’t aware of it—you are making a digital identity for yourself online every time you update a status or add a picture. I feel like as a journalism student at CU, our teachers ram this down our throats from the moment we get here, so in my life outside of school I never know whether I should tell others about their digital identities and the things they should and shouldn’t post online. I struggle with this dilemma when I notice people in my life posting things online that do not necessarily reflect them in a good light. My brother, for example, re-tweets things that he doesn’t know the meaning of and posts pictures and comments that you would never want an employer to see. I don't think he realizes what you are talking about, that a social identity is being constantly created and can never be destroyed. People are constantly branding themselves, even if they don't realize that what they are posting could be read by current or future employers or others that you might not be thinking about when you post. Your blog relates to a big issue with our generation today-I wish everyone realized this. Also, I really liked your quote!
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